spider solo
New member
Yes, much to my surprise there are two mountains named Webster in NH (maybe more?).
This one is over by Squam Lake along the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail.
Last year with the scant snow I found myself heading up to the Presidentials searching out the snow though many of the hikes were "crampon hikes".
This year I waited till January before even starting the winter hikes and with the last couple of storms I realized I didn't need to do all that driving to find some good shoeing..thank goodness.
Two weeks ago we hiked up to Mt Morgan a nice easy mnt that was already "broken out" but we snowshoed it anyway and from the summit I saw Mt Webster not that far away.
When I asked how to get there some folks told me I hiked right past the jct for the trail... didn't I see it?
Nope...it turns out the sign was missing, but on the way down I saw where it turned off and it looked untouched, and very inviting.
Today I put the snowshoes on at the trail head and went for it up the Mt Morgan Trail to the jct.
Turning onto the Crawford Ridge Trail off the well packed Morgan Trail I was instantly one happy puppy. No one had been on it all winter or at least since the big Valentine"s Day Storm.
The snow was deep and as I went along. I could often hear a big "whomp" as the snow settled from my foot steps.. sometimes settling 15 or 20 ft around me. It was great to be on such a little used trail...the only post holes were from the animals in the area.
I could see where Moose had bedded down the previous night and different older spots where they had slept here and there.
I knew I was traveling less than 1 mile in an hr,,, figuring I had about a mile and a half to a scenic vista that would tell me that I went beyond the mountain.. if I missed the spur trail to the summit.
Sure enough, after about two and a half hrs I came upon a beautiful over look with views of Squam Lake below.
The sun was out and the wind was howling overhead... very dramatic, very simple. I sat myself down propped up my feet with the snowshoes on and had a very nice lunch before I started heading back, looking for the summit spur trail.
I never found it but, it was easy enough to make a short bush whack to the top... along the way I found another spot where two Moose had slept close together.. probably a mother and her yearling I would guess.
Such big animals, with the snow so deep you would think that a person could see where their bellies would drag along the snow as they post holed their way along but I have never seen sign of that.
The route back to the Morgan Trail was, of course, much easier so I was able to trim about an hr off my return time and scoot up the summit of Mt Morgan just for the heck of it hoping to see the sun set.
Heading back down in the dusk I was accompanied by hoots, howls and some of the strangest sounds a person can ever hope to hear from our
Owl friends..it a big time of year for them, courtship et al.
Guess they just want to spread the news!
This one is over by Squam Lake along the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail.
Last year with the scant snow I found myself heading up to the Presidentials searching out the snow though many of the hikes were "crampon hikes".
This year I waited till January before even starting the winter hikes and with the last couple of storms I realized I didn't need to do all that driving to find some good shoeing..thank goodness.
Two weeks ago we hiked up to Mt Morgan a nice easy mnt that was already "broken out" but we snowshoed it anyway and from the summit I saw Mt Webster not that far away.
When I asked how to get there some folks told me I hiked right past the jct for the trail... didn't I see it?
Nope...it turns out the sign was missing, but on the way down I saw where it turned off and it looked untouched, and very inviting.
Today I put the snowshoes on at the trail head and went for it up the Mt Morgan Trail to the jct.
Turning onto the Crawford Ridge Trail off the well packed Morgan Trail I was instantly one happy puppy. No one had been on it all winter or at least since the big Valentine"s Day Storm.
The snow was deep and as I went along. I could often hear a big "whomp" as the snow settled from my foot steps.. sometimes settling 15 or 20 ft around me. It was great to be on such a little used trail...the only post holes were from the animals in the area.
I could see where Moose had bedded down the previous night and different older spots where they had slept here and there.
I knew I was traveling less than 1 mile in an hr,,, figuring I had about a mile and a half to a scenic vista that would tell me that I went beyond the mountain.. if I missed the spur trail to the summit.
Sure enough, after about two and a half hrs I came upon a beautiful over look with views of Squam Lake below.
The sun was out and the wind was howling overhead... very dramatic, very simple. I sat myself down propped up my feet with the snowshoes on and had a very nice lunch before I started heading back, looking for the summit spur trail.
I never found it but, it was easy enough to make a short bush whack to the top... along the way I found another spot where two Moose had slept close together.. probably a mother and her yearling I would guess.
Such big animals, with the snow so deep you would think that a person could see where their bellies would drag along the snow as they post holed their way along but I have never seen sign of that.
The route back to the Morgan Trail was, of course, much easier so I was able to trim about an hr off my return time and scoot up the summit of Mt Morgan just for the heck of it hoping to see the sun set.
Heading back down in the dusk I was accompanied by hoots, howls and some of the strangest sounds a person can ever hope to hear from our
Owl friends..it a big time of year for them, courtship et al.
Guess they just want to spread the news!
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